TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s median annual salary reached NT$546,000 (US$17,000) last year, its fastest growth in more than a decade, as AI-related industries lifted wages, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics said Tuesday.

The agency reported that median wages rose 4.03% year-on-year, an unusually strong increase driven by a low base in 2023 and booming demand from AI industries that boosted corporate performance, per CNA. Minimum wage hikes and company-wide raises also contributed to the improvement, it said.

DGBAS Census Department Deputy Director Tan Wen-ling (譚文玲) said median wages typically grow between 0% and 2.5% annually, making this year’s jump notably high. She said weak economic conditions last year held down high-tech salaries, but strong demand for AI and high-performance computing helped companies issue bonuses this year.

By sector, finance and insurance had the highest median annual salary at NT$1.11 million, followed by electricity and gas supply at NT$1.09 million, and publishing, audiovisual, and information and communications at NT$807,000, per UDN. Tan said telecom operators helped lift overall ICT-sector wages.

The median annual salary for women was NT$512,000, compared with NT$585,000 for men. Tan said the lowest decile was NT$330,000, with most workers in that group being migrant laborers or part-time staff.

Full-time local workers in Hsinchu City earned the highest median annual salary at NT$902,000, followed by Hsinchu County at NT$736,000, Taipei at NT$735,000, and Taoyuan at NT$616,000.

DGBAS clarified that the wage data is based on where employees work, not where they live, with local industries — from finance to electronics manufacturing — shaping regional salary levels.